Sarah's Story
by anoelles
Summary: When the away team beams back with an unconscious teenage girl, Deanna Troi must find a way to help her, because physical injuries are the least of Sarah's concerns. Rated T for discussion of abuse.
1. Chapter 1

"Five to beam up."

When Riker and the rest of the away team beamed to sickbay, Dr. Crusher was already waiting. In his arms, Data held the limp form of a teenage girl. While he laid the girl on the bed, Crusher started to run the medical tricorder over her. Although the girl was clothed nearly from head to toe, the doctor immediately started seeing the trauma that lay under the fabric. She glanced over her shoulder, and shooed the men out of the sickbay. Once they were gone, she began to peel back the layers of clothing that covered the girl. Although these types of injuries were no longer common in their society, she had seen them before, on other planets. She pressed her communicator.

"Crusher to Counselor Troi."

"Counselor Troi," a voice responded.

"Deanna, I need you in sickbay immediately," the doctor said.

"On my way. Troi out".

Just as the voice on the other end of the communicator faded, she saw her patient start to move. Concerned about her reaction if she awoke before the arrival of the counselor, Crusher reached over and grabbed a hypospray, pressing it into her neck. The girl relaxed again.

 _She looks so peaceful_ , Crusher thought. Then she looked back at the girls damaged body and shook her head. There was nothing peaceful about it. Just as she was turning to go back to her office, Deanna Troi walked in. She started to say something, then stopped when she saw the unconscious form on the bed. She looked questioningly at Crusher.

"Come on," said the doctor. "She won't be waking up any time soon. We can go sit in my office."

"Will mentioned that they brought someone back from the planet. He wouldn't say who." Troi started.

"Well, right now, I can't tell you who she is myself. She's been unconscious since she arrived. But I wanted to make sure you were here by the time she woke up."

"Yes," Troi said. "I can see she's been hurt. Do you have any idea how?"

Beverly Crusher glared down at her desk for a moment before returning her gaze to the counselor. "I can't be sure, but I have some ideas." Deanna nodded at her to continue. Based on the quick glance she had gotten of the girl before they had moved into the office, she could guess at what those ideas were. "She's clearly been badly beaten, and not just once. Her body is covered with scars, some going back years. I would say that whoever did this to her has been doing it for a very long time." Deanna sighed. It was as she thought. But the doctor wasn't finished. "There's also bruising..." the fierce glare returned, though it wasn't aimed at the counselor. "There's bruising on her legs, and internally." Deanna looked up sharply, hoping she was wrong about what the counselor was implying. Rape was a crime from the distant past on both of their worlds, but both women also knew that there were places in the universe where it still occurred.

"Is that damage...old, as well?" Deanna asked carefully. She could tell her friend was angry, and although she knew the anger was directed at whoever was responsible for harming this young girl, she didn't want to add fuel to the fire.

"No, thankfully. Not that it's a good thing that it's recent, of course." Crusher corrected herself quickly. "But as far as I can tell, they didn't violate her when she was a child. A younger child than she is now, in any case. The tricorder estimates her age at 15." Troi nodded.

Just then, the women heard a quiet groan from the other room, and immediately jumped up. When they walked in, the girl was propped up on her elbows, staring wide-eyed at them. Troi could feel the girl's confusion coming over her in waves. She slowly approached the biobed, not wanting to startle her. When she got closer, she realized how slight the girl's form was. She looked as though she hadn't eaten in far too long. The counselor could see her ribs poking out even through the sheet. She sat down on the edge of the bed, near the girl's feet.

"Hello," she said, "My name is Deanna Troi. I'm the counselor of the USS Enterprise."

"Is that where I am? What is the Enterprise?" The introduction hadn't lessened the amount of confusion the girl was feeling, but now that the counselor was able to look deeper, she also felt fear.

"The Enterprise is a Federation Starship. It's nothing you need to worry about now. All you need to know is that you're safe here. Nobody will hurt you again." Instantly the girl looked wary. Deanna could tell that she was concerned about how much they had already been able to deduce about her situation. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Sarah," the girl replied softly.

"Well Sarah, it's very nice to meet you," Deanna said, smiling. She turned back to her companion, who had been watching the exchange silently. "This is Dr. Crusher. When you're feeling up to it, she'll be able to help you heal some of your injuries." Feeling the fear sharply penetrate to the front of Sarah's thoughts, she decided not to push any further. "We'll leave you to get dressed, and then I'll take you to your room. Alright?"

Sarah nodded, and the two women stepped out to give her some privacy.

"I could heal her now," said Beverly quietly. "There's no reason she should have to continue to live with her injuries!"

"I realize that, but I don't think it would be a good idea. She's already terrified of how much we may have deduced about the causes of her injuries, and I think to push the issue now would cause more mental trauma than it's worth. For tonight, let her rest. I'll see if she's more ready to talk in the morning, and I'll get her back here as soon as I can. Until then, the bruises won't kill her."

"No, I suppose not, although-" Beverly cut herself off as Sarah stepped out from behind the curtain. She was once again covered, and unless someone happened to notice her unusual thinness, nobody would know that she had been hurt. _That's probably a good thing,_ thought Deanna. _There's no reason to start the rumor mill this soon._ As a counselor though, the way the teenager was able to move as though there was nothing wrong, even though she had to be in pain, was concerning. It suggested that Beverly had been right about the history of abuse. Troi sighed almost inaudibly, then smiled down at the girl.

"Come on, Sarah. I'll show you to your quarters." She placed her hand gently on the teenager's back to guide her towards the turbo lift, pretending not to notice Sarah's flinch at her touch.

The trip to Sarah's room was passed in silence. Troi had put Sarah's rooms as close as she could to her own, in case something happened in the night. Although she hid it well, Sarah's mental state was definitely unstable. Not that the counselor could blame her. When they walked into the suite, Sarah looked around her in awe.

"This is mine?" she squeaked, projecting feelings of disbelief. Deanna couldn't hold back a smile at her almost childlike reaction.

"All yours. And my own rooms are just down the hall. You can come any time you need anything. Day or night." Sarah nodded absentmindedly, still looking around her. As soon as the disbelief came, it was gone though, suppressed by extreme exhaustion. "You're tired," Deanna stated. Sarah gave her a sharp look. She had been hiding her true feelings for a very long time, and few people could see through her so easily. Seeming to sense her thoughts, the counselor answered the unspoken question. "I'm half betazoid." Seeing that Sarah's confusion didn't lessen, she expanded. "Betazoids are telepathic." She immediately felt Sarah throw unconscious walls around her thoughts. "Because my father is human, however, I cannot read thoughts." The walls lowered. "But I can sense feelings. Enough to know that you need sleep." Sarah just nodded, and without saying another word turned and walked into the bedroom. Once inside, out of Deanna's line of sight, she called out softly. "Thank you, Counselor Troi. Good night." Deanna smiled and walked out. Now she needed to talk to Will, and find out exactly what had happened down there.


	2. Chapter 2

"Will!" Deanna called, as she rushed up behind him in the hallway.

"Hey Counselor, what's the hurry?" He asked. He said it lightheartedly, but she could tell that under the smile his mood was much more serious.

"I need to know what happened on that planet today, Will. I need to know about Sarah."

"Sarah?" he asked, although it seemed as though he already knew.

"The girl you brought back. She's been badly hurt, Will. And not just once. I want to help her. But I can't do that without any information."

The commander sighed, as though this was what he had expected. "I don't know how much information I can give you, Deanna. We went down and completed our mission. Everything was going smoothly...too smoothly. I should've known something was about to happen. Just before we were about to beam back, the ambassador's daughter, Meena, approached us. She said that she had a friend from school, someone she'd known since they were young children. But her family had always been controlling, and now Meena hadn't been able to contact her in weeks. When she tried to go to their house, nobody ever answered the door. She was concerned about this girl's welfare, and we didn't want to risk the negotiations we'd just finished by angering the ambassador's teenage daughter. So we agreed to stop by her house on our way out and see if we could find anything." The commander paused in his story as another officer walked by, then continued.

"When we arrived at the house, nobody answered the door, just like Meena had said. We were about to leave, when Data said he registered a life force inside, one that was weakening. He thought whoever was inside might be dying. So we broke in. There was only one person inside: Sarah. The house was a mess. It looked like it had been ransacked. She was laying on the floor in the bedroom, just like she was when we brought her to sickbay. Rather than wait for whoever had harmed her to return, we beamed straight back to the Enterprise. She never woke up, and I never spoke to her, so I can't tell you anything more than that."

There was a moment of silence while Deanna pondered what Will had said. Nodding decisively, she forced a brief smile, and thanked him, before turning back towards the turbo lift. Sensing that the situation had upset him as well, she briefly laid a hand on his shoulder, before boarding the lift and returning to her rooms.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Deanna woke extremely early. She lay in bed, trying to figure out what had awoken her, when she felt a twinge at the back of her mind. _Sarah,_ she thought. She immediately jumped out of bed, throwing a robe on as she ran down the hall. Although the feelings were mild, the fact that Sarah-someone who wasn't an empath-was able to project into her mind at all meant that it was probably severe.

Thankfully, Deanna had retained her voice access to Sarah's suite, just in case a situation like this should arise. She entered without asking. "Computer, lights on low," she whispered. Walking through the suite, she saw Sarah's form tossing under the sheets in the still dark bedroom. The counselor quickly walked in, sitting on the edge of the bed, and placing a hand lightly on Sarah's shoulder. The girl didn't wake, but instead started struggling more. "Sarah," Deanna said forcefully, "you need to wake up." Now that she was in such close proximity to the girl, the feelings of fear, anger, and shame were much stronger. After Deanna gave her a light shake, Sarah awoke. She sat straight up, gasping for air. Seeing a dark figure in front of her, she instinctively curled into a ball and shoved herself backwards, ramming herself into the headboard with a crack.

"Shh, Sarah, it's okay. It's Counselor Troi. You're safe now," Deanna said, projecting calming feelings towards the girl. She wasn't sure if Sarah would register them, but it couldn't hurt. After she spoke, Deanna sat silently, waiting for the girl in front of her to relax. After a minute or two, her breathing had evened out, and she wasn't quite as tense, although she remained curled up against the headboard. Deanna could still feel the fear in her mind. It was pushed to the back now-she was trying to suppress it-but it was definitely still there.

"You were having a bad dream, Sarah. It was strong enough to wake me from down the hall, so it's understandable that you're upset," Deanna said softly, after she thought Sarah was calm enough to listen.

"I'm sorry I woke you," the girl replied quietly. "I'll try not to do it again."

"Don't be silly, Sarah, I told you that you could come to me day or night. Even if you didn't come to me physically, I still want to help." She decided to try reaching out, and rested a hand on Sarah's shoulder. The flinch was still there, but this time it was smaller. Sarah didn't pull away though, so Deanna left her hand in place, and scooted a little bit closer on the bed.

"Do you want to talk about your dream?" the counselor prompted.

"It wasn't a dream," Sarah replied bitterly. Up until now, the girl had been soft-spoken and quiet, and Deanna was surprised to hear the strength in her voice.

"What do you mean, Sarah? What was it?"

"It...nothing, Counselor Troi. I'm sorry that I disturbed you. You should go back to bed now, there's no reason for two of us to lose sleep."

"Sarah, what did you just call me?" Deanna asked quietly.

"Counselor Troi?" The girl replied, obviously confused at the question.

"Exactly. I'm the counselor. Day or night, I'm available. Whenever you need me, I'm here. To talk to, for advice, for a shoulder to cry on. And..." Deanna paused, searching for the right words. "I want to help you, Sarah. This isn't just a job. You aren't a job to me. I want to make you feel better, feel safe here, but I can't do that if you won't talk to me."

After she finished her speech, Deanna sat silently, waiting for Sarah to process what she had said. Her hand had fallen to rest lightly on top of the girl's, and she left it there. The empathic connection was made stronger through the physical contact, and she waited patiently for Sarah to work through her feelings. Eventually, it paid off.

"It wasn't a dream," Sarah stated again, though less severely this time. "It was...a memory." She stopped, clearly unsure of whether to continue.

Not wanting to lose this chance to communicate, Deanna prompted her to continue. "A recent memory?" Sarah nodded quietly, turning her head away from the counselor. Although the room was dimly lit, Deanna had seen the glimmer of tears in Sarah's eyes before she turned away.

"Do you want to tell me what the memory was of?" Sarah shook her head.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because...because I just can't." Not wanting to push her, Deanna just rubbed her thumb across the back of Sarah's hand, letting her know that she was still there. "It's...I'm embarrassed," Sarah finally admitted in an almost nonexistent voice.

Deanna sighed. "Something tells me that you have nothing to be embarrassed about," she commented, trying to get the teenager to open up. Sarah looked at her closely, trying to read her expression in the dark. Deanna knew without being asked what the girl was wondering, and answered. "Like I told you before, Sarah, I can't read your thoughts, nor your memories. I don't know what happened. But I do know that whatever it was, it wasn't your fault, and it's nothing for you to be embarrassed about."

Feeling slightly more confident in her ability to communicate with the girl, Deanna slid up next to Sarah and leaned back against the headboard, wrapping a comforting arm around Sarah's shoulders. That was all it took for the dam to break, and Sarah fell into the counselors arms, her small body wracked with sobs. Deanna just pulled the girl into her embrace, letting her cry. She ran her fingers softly through Sarah's hair with one hand, and with the other, held the teenager close to her, keeping her safe from whatever demons inhabited her mind. Eventually the sobbing turned into quiet hiccups, and then silence. Sarah lay still, her head resting on Deanna's chest, but the counselor could tell that she wasn't asleep. She rested her cheek on Sarah's head, still cradling the girl in her arms.

"Sleep, Sarah," she commanded in a soft voice.

"Will you leave me?" Sarah asked meekly. This was a different girl from the one who had so casually hidden her injuries from view earlier. _Good,_ Deanna thought. _I may not know what happened yet, but she's ready to admit that she needs help._

"I won't leave you, Sarah. I'll be here as long as you need me." Deanna felt the girl squeeze her tightly in reply, and after a few moments, relax into slumber. Deanna just laid there, continuing to run her fingers through Sarah's hair as she thought through the situation. This was going to be difficult for both of them, but for some reason, she felt compelled to help. It was more than just her Betazoid half kicking in. She felt some kind of connection to the teenager, something that she couldn't explain. Her last thought before she fell asleep herself was that she had to find a way to make Sarah comfortable sharing her story.


End file.
